Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: thedoc on 12/05/2015 10:50:02
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raquel asked the Naked Scientists:
what can I add to paint to make it stick to wax. wand to make my own paint for candles but nothing seems to work. I've tried using wax emulsion with stearic acid and acrylic paint. But this formula doesn't seem to dry.
Help!!
What do you think?
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raquel asked the Naked Scientists:
what can I add to paint to make it stick to wax. wand to make my own paint for candles but nothing seems to work. I've tried using wax emulsion with stearic acid and acrylic paint. But this formula doesn't seem to dry.
Help!!
What do you think?
try mixing wax with a small amount of turpentine to make a paste, the turps will evaporate. You can get small amounts from artist supply shops.
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It's not clear if you want to coat the outside of the candle, or have the pigment in the bulk of the candle?
Wax is a long-chain hydrocarbon, and really doesn't react with or stick to very much at all, which makes it hard to make anything stick to it. (The very name "paraffin wax" comes from from Latin parum ("barely") + affinis, meaning "lacking affinity" or "unreactive".)
One approach is to use a hydrophobic/non-polar dye which dissolves in the molten wax, dispersing pigment through the wax. (Food dyes are hydrophilic, and won't mix with wax.)
You can buy blocks of dyed wax, which you stir into your molten wax. Some people suggest using childrens' wax crayons as a source of wax-soluble pigment.
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What you need is Ceramcoat Acrylic paint, but you also need to prepare the candle surface by wiping over with a little rubbing alcohol first. Use cotton wool makeup remover pads dipped in the alcohol to wipe the area to be painted and allow to dry before painting.